International Women's Day 2019

It’s a great and important time in history to do everything possible to help forge a more gender-balanced world. Women have come a long way, yet there's still more to be achieved.

The International Women's Day 2019 campaign theme of #BalanceforBetter is a call-to-action for driving gender balance across the world.

We are delighted to be able to offer you an opportunity to attend the amazing Women's Empowerment Summit on April 13th in Dublin. As corporate sponsors we have secured the best rate for you.

Its4women are great advocates for empowering women. We believe that every woman is unique and strong and should be given the opportunity to be valued, and to be the best you can be. At the Women's Empowerment Summit the incredible line up of female speakers will share their journey and life lessons with you so you can be empowered to live a life you love.

To avail of this exclusive discount go to the event website and upon purchasing your ticket enter coupon code ITS4WOMEN37

And make sure to come and say hello to us at the event!

Who is speaking at the event?

Speaking at the event, are seven incredible inspirational women….

1. Donna Kennedy is a five times bestselling author, multiple entrepreneur, international speaker and mentor, and founder of the very popular event, the Women`s Empowerment Summit (WE Summit).

Donna is the only Irish woman to have shared the stage collectively with international leaders in personal and business development such as Bob Proctor (The Secret), Brian Tracy (Eat that Frog), the authors of Chicken Soup for the Soul, Sharon Lechter (Rich Dad, Poor Dad) to name but a few. Her academic work has been recognised and published nationally and internationally by various faculties, including The American Journal of Psychology and The Irish Psychological Record. Her work has also been used and referenced by several leading organisations and multi-nationals to train staff and market product.

2. Maura Derrane is a well-known Irish television presenter and journalist from Inishmore, County Galway. She began working as a researcher for RTÉ News in Galway and in 1996, she moved to TG4 as a news reporter. From 1998, she worked for TV3 News as a news reporter and crime correspondent, and co-presented Ireland AM from 2004 to 2006. She then advanced to co-hosting the hit TV show, Today - with Maura and Dáithi, and is now a household name.

Maura became a mother to her son, Cal, at the age of forty-four and even though she has a busy life, she has described herself as a "lioness" to her baby (now four) and puts him top of the priority list. Juggling work-life balance is something many women struggle with so her tips here will be welcomed. Maura best empowers women through her kind, caring and warm confidence. She shows strength in her femininity and embraces challenges with the right attitude, illustrating that if you want something don't be afraid to go and get it. Maura has some great advice on living a balanced life that you can enjoy and be proud of.

3. Sene Naoupu is an Irish rugby international in Rugby 7’s, 15’s and Touch Rugby. The New Zealand born Samoan and Irish business women was voted the Irish Times Top 30 Most Influential Women in Ireland 2017, a year after winning the Guinness Rugby Writers’ Player of the Year and the Rugby Players Ireland, BNY Mellon Player’s Player of the Year in 2016. She was part of 2015 Six Nations championship winning team, 2017 Rugby World Cup, the 2018 European Senior Mixed Touch Championship winning team as well as a former professional Seven’s player on the HSBC World Series circuit.

Her passion and experience for developing and promoting women and girls’ involvement in sport from leadership to participation to high performance, is reflected through her work with sports sponsorship relations, grassroots coaching, regular professional speaking for global companies and founding small businesses aimed at promoting sports involvement through physical activity and sports performance.

4. Cathy O Connor is one of Ireland's most respected fashion stylists. Through her regular appearances on RTE and TV3, she has garnered a devoted following.

Renowned for her expertise and practical advice, Cathy's passion for all things stylish resonates with people everywhere. She loves her job. At the Summit Cathy will show us how we can all embrace and love our bodies, no matter our size or shape, giving you the confidence to be your best self.

5. In 2012 Deirdre Featherstone was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer and went on to lose her hair, have chemotherapy, a mastectomy, radiation and a reconstruction, all in a two-year period. It was a very gruelling time, but she feels that it was also one of the best times in her life. Instead of surrendering, she decided that she was going to “grab this cancer and turn it into something as positive as I possibly could.”

Dee came up with the idea of a Skinny Dip to raise money for Childhood Cancer. The event has taken place annually and in the first five years it raised €153,000 for Aoibheann's Pink Tie, Ireland's National Children's Cancer Charity. Dee decided to raise the bar and set another goal, to beat the world record for skinny dips! The event totally took off and on the day she had 2,505 women show up to dip. They smashed the world record and raised €503,000 from that dip alone, which funded a respite home in Crumlin for the families going through childhood cancer. Dee's motto is Together we are stronger - Women together can achieve anything. Let's get in the room and be upstanding for this amazing empowering woman!

6. Tracey Smolinski is the founder and managing director of Wales’ leading independent business network, Introbiz. Since the company’s birth back in 2009, Tracey has become a highly successful businesswoman. Today, the network boasts over 300 members from a wide range of industries and sectors, while hosting 60 networking events a year in various 4 and 5 star locations throughout South Wales and host events internationally.

She also trains in schools on behalf of the Welsh Government and is a proud Big Ideas Role Model. She is known for her commitment and drive to providing valuable information. Her talks are extremely powerful and compelling as she leaves the audience feeling completely energized and ready to take on the world! Tracey has shared the stage with Lord Alan Sugar, Grant Cardone, Hilary Devey CBE, Baroness Michelle Mone, John Lee, Jamie Baulch, Marie Diamond, The Apprentice winners Mark Wright and Alana Spencer and Sharon Lechter, an international bestselling author who is widely credited as being the genius behind the Rich Dad brand. Sharon is also Tracey’s mentor.

7. Charlotte Caldwell CMC Ambassador, Mother and Campaigner for Medicinal Cannabis Denied appropriate medical treatment for her son Billy’s epilepsy in Northern Ireland, Charlotte travelled to the US to a leading epilepsy doctor in 2008 with the help of a public fund-raising campaign.

His seizures came back in 2016 causing a further crisis and a return to the US where medicinal cannabis was prescribed by his specialist. A supportive GP continued this in Northern Ireland until he was forced to desist by the Department of Health and the Home Office. In the summer of 2018 the Home Secretary agreed to reschedule cannabis derived medical products after a very successful media campaign led by Charlotte and Billy which changed the law in Uk. Medicanal Cannabis was legalised.